Sheriff’s Office plans holiday helicopter patrol

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office will have a bird’s eye view this holiday season.

Shelby County deputies are set to patrol the skies in the upcoming weeks in a new helicopter, and it will be used in the future for traffic control, surveillance, search and rescue, disaster and other missions.

During the holiday season, the deputies will observe traffic and look for suspicious activity while patrolling in the helicopter. The helicopter has the same markings as the Sheriff’s Office patrol cars, which the Sheriff’s Office hopes will help deter criminal acts, according to a press release.

Two deputies will fly in the helicopter at a time, one acting as pilot and the other observing.

Sheriff John Samaniego thanked the Shelby County Commission for its partnership which helped the Sheriff's Office obtain the helicopter.

“The benefits of this partnership are countless,” Samaniego said. “A patrol helicopter is not restricted by traffic congestion and can cover a lot of area in a short time span. The helicopter can fly low, to deter criminal activity, or fly high and provide crucial information to deputies below.”

Capt. Jeff Hartley is the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office’s primary pilot. Hartley retired from the Tuscaloosa Police Department, where he served as one of their law enforcement helicopter pilots for five years. Hartley also served 24 years in the U.S. Air Force.